‘A beautiful sight’: Three orca whales spotted swimming in group through Bellingham Bay
At least three orca whales were spotted swimming through Bellingham Bay on Tuesday.
Bellingham resident Nate Wallace captured a video of the whales at about 4:30 p.m. as they were swimming south in the I&J Waterway along the Port of Bellingham.
Wallace told The Herald he was able to get the video from the deck of his apartment, where he lives with his family.
“We were finishing up our work day and playing with the baby when we looked out our living room window and saw the orcas starting to swim back out of the waterway,” Wallace said. “We quickly went to our deck to watch as they swam by.”
Although only three whales can be clearly seen in the video, Wallace said there appeared to be four whales total. He said one of them appeared significantly smaller than the other three.
Wallace posted the sighting to Reddit, where the video had received more than 120 comments by Wednesday morning.
“Wow what a beautiful sight!” one commenter said.
“That is fantastic! You were in the perfect spot. Thank you for sharing!” another commenter said.
Wallace said he reported the sighting to the Orca Network hoping they could identify the pod and family members.
The Orca Network website says contributing whale sightings “builds a community that cares about these precious whales, and informs and motivates involvement to restore salmon runs and protect whales and their essential habitats.”
All whales are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urges members of the public to observe marine animals from a safe and respectful distance, and do not approach or touch them, according to Andrea Wasilew with NOAA Fisheries Public Affairs.
“Admiring whales from a distance is the safest and most responsible way to view them in their natural habitat. They are wild, unpredictable animals. Approaching them too closely endangers you and the whales, and may violate federal law,” Wasilew told The Herald.
People should remain at least 100 yards — the length of a football field — away from whales, Wasilew said. Federal law requires vessels to remain 200 yards away from killer whales in Washington State inland waters.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 11:06 AM.
